Dining with Denise didn’t win the chili cookoff, but a restaurant did

Dining With Denise: 2017 Old Town Chili Cookoff

Wichita Eagle food writer Denise Neil set up a booth at the 2017's Old Town Chili Cookoff and quickly realized that it was a lot more work than she bargained for. (Travis Heying and Jaime Green/The Wichita Eagle)
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Wichita Eagle food writer Denise Neil set up a booth at the 2017's Old Town Chili Cookoff and quickly realized that it was a lot more work than she bargained for. (Travis Heying and Jaime Green/The Wichita Eagle)
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On Saturday, I became a first-time participant in the popular downtown event, and wow. What I imagined as an opportunity for leisurely face time with readers turned into a frantic, adrenaline-fueled fight for chili survival.

The event was particularly popular this year. A record number of teams – 92 – entered, and people were packed into the three-block stretch of Douglas where the participants were set up. When the horn sounded at noon, signifying the start of public tasting, I had a line of 50 people waiting for a sample at my booth. I don’t know where they came from or how we got them all fed, but somehow, we did.

My bff and co-worker Jaime Green and I cooked chili all day on Friday in our Instant Pot pressure cookers, and on Saturday, I arrived downtown at 7 a.m. to set up my booth. It was an experience and an adventure that I survived only with the help of a few generous colleagues and friends.

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We’ve made a fun behind-the-scenes video as part of my Dining with Denise video series. Watch it, and if you want the recipe for the wonderful green chili we served, you can find it below.

One exciting result from the festival: Old Mill Tasty Shop, the downtown restaurant that operates within the footprint of the annual chili cookoff, won the big trophy – the Grand Championship. The restaurant entered both its house green and its house red chili in various categories. Here’s a list of all the winners from Saturday.